People Power - Two Crowdfunding Successes

There were two major Scottish successes this week for Crowdfunding. For the uninitiated, this is the process whereby someone decides to do something and appeals for funds on the internet.  It is the modern equivalent of the 'funding by public subscription' which achieved so much in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, including the establishment of my old school, Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, in 1908 as the living memorial to the Scots killed in the Boer Wars (sixpence each from just about everyone in Scotland).  The fundraising for both projects was spectacularly successful and they both far outstripped their monetary targets in short order.

However it is notable that the treatment of these success stories by the mainstream media has been markedly different.  The media has been all over the first story like a rash, despite the fact that they universally shunned rather than ignored its subject when he was alive.  Despite shining a fascinating light into Scottish public attitudes to the biggest Scottish story of the moment, the second story has been universally ignored by the mainstream media.

The first was the completion of the sale of the late Hamish Henderson's (from whom this blog derives its title) papers to the University of Edinburgh Library. Following Hamish's death, Katzel Henderson was left with the mountain of papers, letters and journals amassed by one of the greatest Scotsmen of the 20th Century. The Hamish Henderson Archive Trust was formed to catalogue the papers and prepare them for sale and managed to exceed its £2,000 target in just 48 hours, going on to raise £4,670, becoming a poster boy project for the Sponsume site.

Despite being banned from the BBC while he was alive, now safely dead the story was covered by BBC 1 Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland,  The Scotsman and The Evening News.

The second crowdfunding success story was the Panelbase Poll commissioned by Wings Over Scotland whose fundraising effort exceeded its £1,500 target raising over £6,000 in 72 hours through fundraising site indiegogo.  Despite being by far the most interesting survey of public attitudes since the independence referendum campaign started, it has been wholeheartedy ignored by the mainstream media.

Because it can be devilishly difficult to find things on Wings Over Scotland once they disappear from the front page index, as a public service here are direct links to the Rev's dissections of the poll results:

We did a thing. The background stats on the people surveyed.

In, out and shaking it all about. What Jam Tomorrow would you like to see and the startling revelation that only 18% of Scots would vote to join the UK today. 110 bribed MPs to 18% of Scots in 306 years. There'll be a 51% unionist majority in 4833 AD at that rate.

Looking for someone to trust. 3 of the 1015 Scots polled believe what Blair McDougall says all of the time.

The Fourth & Fifth Estates.  How do Scots view the service they receive from the media?

Looking Ahead. Party affiliations and voting intentions.

The War of the Worlds. Scots more terrified by Tories than Terrorists and by Space Monsters that the Russians or Chinese.

Bullet Points.  The Rev has kindly added a summary of the main points of the poll. [Added 12 Aug 13].

The Last Home International.  Interestingly even dyed in the wool Britnats on Twitter have agreed that the poll questions were fair and not leading. With this bit of fun the Rev explores how leading questions can affect the outcome. [Added 12 Aug 13].

Data Mining. Some interesting snippets:

UNDECIDED WHICH WAY THEY’LL VOTE IN THE REFERENDUM:  Men: 22% Women: 38%

VOTERS MOST AFRAID OF TERRORIST ATTACKS:  Conservative: 55% Lib Dem: 42% Labour: 32% SNP: 26%

VOTERS MOST AFRAID OF SPACE MONSTERS:  Conservative: 6% Labour: 5% SNP: 4% Lib Dem:  <1%

VOTERS WHO THINK ALISTAIR DARLING ALWAYS TELLS THE TRUTH:  Lib Dems: 9% Conservatives: 6% Labour: 4% SNP: <1% 

VOTERS WHO HAVE HEARD OF THE WEBSITE “LABOUR HAME” SNP: 6% Conservative: 4% Labour: 4% Lib Dem: 2% 

VOTERS WHO HAVE HEARD OF THE WEBSITE “LABOUR FOR INDEPENDENCE” Labour: 12% SNP: 12% Conservative: 10% Lib Dem: 6% 

VOTERS WHO EXPRESS ANY OPINION ON MEDIA BIAS Men: 60% Women: 37%

The full data tables from Panelbase can be found here (pdf).